Researcher biography

Biography:

Prof Hayes is Emeritus Professor of Metallurgical Engineering within the School of Chemical Engineering. He is curently a senior researcher in the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH). He received his PhD in Metallurgy from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1974. He has a BSc (1970) and MSc (1972) in Metallurgy from the University of Newcastle on Tyne, England.

Research:

Prof Hayes was founding Director of the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH). Prof Hayes' research is focused on the high temperature processing of minerals and materials, with particular application to the pyrometallurgical production and refining of metals. His interests include chemical equilibria, reaction kinetics and mechanisms.

His current research projects encompass:

  • High temperature phase equilibrium measurements and determination of liquidus isotherms in complex industrial slag systems relevant to the smelting of copper, ferro-chromium, ferro-manganese, iron, ferro-nickel, lead and zinc production and metal recycling.
  • The development of thermodynamic databases, and their use in conjunction with FactSage, to predict phase equilibria and thermodynamic properties in oxide systems.
  • Reaction kinetics and mechanisms in metal and materials processing, smelting and refining; in particular, gas/solid reactions.

Prof Hayes has over 450 research publications.

Teaching and Learning:

Prof Hayes' teaching interests include pyrometallurgy, chemical thermodynamics, and physical and chemical processing of minerals.

He is author of the undergraduate textbook "Process Selection in Minerals and Materials Production" by P.C. Hayes, Hayes Publishing Co, Sherwood, Brisbane, the 4th ed. is currently available and downloadable from the web as a e-book. Prof Hayes introduced the dual major BE Chemical and Metallurgical to the UQ curriculum and has been activity involved in program and curriculum development in the field of metallurgical engineering over a several decades.

Projects:

  1. Reaction mechanisms and kinetics of high temperature gas/solid/liquid reaction kinetics relevant to metals production.
  2. Fundamental experimental studies of phase equilibria in metal smelting, refining and metals recycling processes.